DAVIDSON SHIPBUILDING

West Bay City MI

Most recent update: May 14, 2016.
James Davidson, a master mariner from Buffalo, started this shipyard in 1873.  His first ship, the James Davidson, was said to be the first wooden ship the timbers for which were cut to specifications, in a saw mill.  Davidson died in 1929 and the shipyard closed in 1932.  The yard was at the foot of Randolph Street: the site is now part of Veterans Memorial Park but the graving dock is still clearly visible from the air on Google here.  If anyone can add to the table below, please e-mail me at timcolton@aol.com
Hull # O.N. Name Owner Type GT Feet Built

Disposition
1   James Davidson J. Davidson Cargo Ship 1,456   1874 Wrecked 1883 on Thunder Bay Is, Lake Huron
  91272 Minnesota    Propeller  1,138   1880 Burnt 1903
2                
3                
4                
5 155040 Oceania J. Davidson Cargo Ship 1,490   1880 Burnt 1919 in the Canadian Vickers shipyard
6 115848 Siberia J. Davidson Cargo Ship 1,618   1882 Wrecked 1905 off Long Point, Lake Erie
7                
8 85800 George T. Hope   Cargo Ship 1,558   1883 Culligan 1907, foundered 1912 near Grand Isle, Lake Superior
9 106302 Australasia J. Davidson Cargo Ship 1,820   1884 Burnt 1896 in Whitefish Bay
10                
11 76601 John Shaw   Schooner  928   1885 Foundered 1894
12 145421 Temple Emery   Tug  155   1886 Abandoned 1923
13                
14 81115 Wahnipitae    Schooner   1,432   1886 Wrecked 1891 in Cleveland
15 110733 Roumania J. Corrigan Cargo Ship 1,837   1887 Abandoned 1928, scrapped 1933
16 3381 Bulgaria J. Corrigan Cargo Ship 1,888   1887 Abandoned 1916
17 85991 Germanic J. Davidson Cargo Ship 1,131   1888 Reliever 1908, burnt 1909 at Methodist Point, Georgian Bay
18 92029 Mary B. Mitchell   Schooner  963   1888 Foundered 1915
18 91988 Mary Woolson   Schooner  709   1888 Rammed and sunk 1920
19 126488 C. B. Strohn   Tug  18   1888 Abandoned 1927
20 3400 Britannic W. J. White Cargo Ship 1,121   1888 Sarnor 1913, burnt 1926nat Kingston ON
21                
22 86026 George G. Hadley Hadley, Kitchener Cargo Ship 2,073   1888 William P. Rend 1902, wrecked 1917 off North Point, Thunder Bay
23                
24 116266 S. S. Wilhelm J. Davidson Cargo Ship 683   1888 L. L. Barth 1903, abandoned 1926
25 92116 Majestic J. Davidson Cargo Ship 1,985   1889 Burnt 1907 off Long Point, Lake Erie
26                
27 86036 Geyser  Bay Line & Fire Boat Fire Tug  29   1889  
28                
29                
30 106702 Alex. Nimick Irwin, Tener & Oliver Cargo Ship 1,968   1890 Wrecked 1907 in Whitefish Bay MI
31 106676 Adriatic    Schooner  915   1889 Abandoned 1930
32                
33 76879 John Harper American Tpt. Co Cargo Ship 1,951   1890 Burnt 1914 in the Detroit River
34 81263 Walter Vail A. D. Campbell Cargo Ship 789   1890 Herman H. Hettler 1913, wrecked 1926 off Grand Is, Lake Superior
35 150497 Panther Davidson Tptn. Co Cargo Ship 1,374   1890 Sank 1916 off Whitefish Point, Lake Superior
36                
37                
38                
39                
  130481 Nirvana    Schooner  611   1890  Stranded 1905
40 126717 City of Berlin J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,051   1891 Charles A. Luck 1915, Richland Star 1916, Oakwood 1925, wrecked 1925 near Millers Point, Lake Erie
41 126722 City of Paris J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,062   1891 C. W. Jacob 1915, Isolde 1928, wrecked 1933 in Sevenmile Creek, near Erie
42 126729 City of Glasgow J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,002   1891 Burnt 1907 in Green Bay, made into a barge, scrapped 1922
43 126731 City of London J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,005   1891 In collision and sank 1913 off Point Pelee, Lake Erie
44                
45 96114 Harold   Cargo Ship 718   1891 Burnt 1915
46 92302 Maxwell A.    Tug      1891 Burnt 1915 
47                
48 126885 City of Venice J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,108   1892 In collision and sank 1902 off Rondeau LH, Lake Erie
49 126897 City of Genoa J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,446   1892 In collision and sank 1911 off Sarnia, scuttled 1915
50 126899 City of Naples J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,394   1892 Frank O'Connor 1916, burnt 1919 off Cana Is WI
51                

52

 106975 Aberdeen    Schooner  1,045   1892 H. Gladys 1910, abandoned 1932
53 81423 William D. Becker   Schooner  1,046   1892 Foundered 1907
54                
51 150609 Perfection    Tug  71   1892 Abandoned 1912
55 150621 Paisley    Schooner  1,047   1893 Later Richland Daisy 1916, Colpet 1923, abandoned 1931
56   H. A. Barr   Schooner      1893 Sold 1901, foundered 1902 off Port Stanley
57 145648 Thomas Cranage T. Cranage Cargo Ship 2,219   1893 Wrecked off Watcher Is, Georgian Bay 1911
58   W. P. Ketcham J. A. Calbick Cargo Ship 946   1893 Later Lucy Neff 1902, foundered off Fenwick Is 1915
59 86264 Geo. B. Owen   Schooner  744   1893 Sank 1926
60 116623 Shenandoah J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,251   1894 Abandoned in West Bay City 1924
61 130669 Nicaragua J. Davidson Cargo Ship 1,204   1894 Scrapped 1923
62 86293 Grampian    Schooner  844   1894 Abandoned 1945
63                
64 92598 Madagascar J. Davidson Cargo Ship 1,203   1894 Later Kenosha 1906, foundered off Fire Is, NY, 1909
65                
66 111083 Rappahannock J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,380   1895 Foundered in Jackfish Bay, Lake Superior 1911
67                
68                
69 116682 Sacramento J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,380   1895 Hulked in Bay City 1930, stripped by 1939
70 67313 No. 001    Barge  1,545   1895 Stranded 1918
71 67314 No. 002    Barge  1,549   1895 Sank 1906
72 86317 Granada   Schooner 1,729   1895 Scrapped 1928
73 107219 Armenia    Schooner  2,040   1896 Foundered 1906
74 107221 Abyssinia    Schooner  2,038   1896 Stranded 1917
75 107222 Algeria    Schooner  2.039   1896 Foundered 1906
76 107236 Appomattox Boston Coal Dock Cargo Ship 2,643   1896 Wrecked on North Point Reef, Milwaukee 1905
77 161786 Venezuela J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,125   1897 Later Erie 1923, barge 1923, deleted 1928
78 86387 G. A. Tomlinson   Tug  79   1896 Scrapped 1910
79 150751 Prodigy    Tug  55   1897 Abandoned 1910
80 100629 Industry    Tug  80   1897 Scrapped 1909
81 127180 Crete    Schooner  2,040   1897 Abandoned 1930
82 107276 Athens    Schooner  2,074   1897 Foundered 1917
83 3729 Bermuda J. Davidson Cargo Ship 1,312   1897 Later Senator Derbyshire 1909, burnt off E Point Petre Light, Lake Ontario 1924
84 111147 Rita McDonald   Tug  70   1897 Abandoned 1920
85                
86                
87 155317 Orinoco J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,226   1898 Foundered near Montreal Is, Lake Superior 1924
88 107348 Amazonas J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,228   1898 Later Richland Queen 1916, Petcol 1922, abandoned 1929
89 127255 Chattanooga    Schooner  2,340   1898 Abandoned 1926
90 127259 Chickamauga    Schooner  2,472   1898 Foundered 1919
91 116893 Santiago    Schooner  2,600   1899 Foundered 1918
92 92954 Matanzas    Schooner  2,600   1899 Abandoned 1927
93 86498 General  Union Towing Tug  132   1900 Burnt 1930
94 150872 Pretoria J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,790   1900 Foundered 1905
95 127526 Cartagena J. Davidson Cargo Ship 1,532   1901 Wrecked on Salvage Rocks, Cape Negro NS, 1907
96                
97                
98                
99                
100 127703 Chieftain J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,704   1902 Burnt 1953
101 93397 Montezuma J. Davidson Cargo Ship 2,722   1903 Abandoned 1938
102 200293 Sardinia    Tug  35   1903 Abandoned 1939